the ferrari of hot pot restaurants

Acclaimed Chinese hot pot shop begins soft opening of first Houston-area location

Choose up to four broths and an array of meat and vegetables.

Haidilao

A highly acclaimed hot pot restaurant has made its Texas debut. HaiDiLao began its soft opening on May 3 in Katy.

Dubbed the "Ferrari of hot pot restaurants" by Los Angeles Times food critic Jonathan Gold, HaiDiLao serves an extensive menu with multiple choices for different broths and sauces to create each individual bowl. A wide range of meat — including wagyu beef — seafood, and vegetables are available.

At the end of the meal, a "noodle dancer" makes hand-pulled noodles tableside. Diners use the noodles to soak up the remaining drops of broth and sauce.

Even more than its food, the restaurant is known for its service. Diners may receive a hand massage while they wait for a table or be given plastic covers to shield their phones from broth. The restaurant brought employees from a California location to assist with the opening, according to a press release.

"It's a fun, bonding experience for families. It's authentic, and the kind of restaurant you'd find on a trip to Asia," Heather Nguyen, development partner for Katy Grand developer NewQuest, said in a statement.

Currently, the restaurant is only open for dinner, and reservations are required. Customers may request a time through the restaurant's website.

Announced over a year ago, the 200-seat restaurant occupies approximately 6,300-square-feet in the Katy Grand shopping center. It joins Japanese book store Kinokuniya, Taiwan-based concept 85°C Bakery Cafe, and Kura Revolving Sushi. In the coming months, Katy Grand will add the first Texas location of Tim Ho Wan, a Hong Kong-based dim sum restaurant with a Michelin star, and PopStroke, a mini golf facility with courses designed by Tiger Woods.

news-you-can-eat openings

all about the taste

Beyoncé-loved Houston brunch spot sweetens Sugar Land with new location

Courtesy of Taste Kitchen + Bar

No meal at Taste is complete without chicken and waffles.

One of Houston’s most successful brunch spots is coming to Sugar Land. Taste Bar + Kitchen will open its second location on Wednesday, December 10, in the former Veritas Steak & Seafood location at 1550 Lake Pointe Pkwy, Suite 500.

Located near the Greatwood development, the restaurant will feature a lakefront patio and a private dining room that will host family celebrations, corporate events, and other happenings.

Even more importantly, it will serve chef-owner Don Bowie’s kicked up take on Southern comfort food. The restaurant’s menu offers more than a dozen versions of chicken and waffles — General Tso’s, Nashville hot, jerk, Cajun, etc. paired with waffle flavors such as peach cobbler, apple pie, and sweet potato — as well as seafood, mac & cheese, and the jerk lamb chops that won the prize for best dish at the CultureMap Tailgate earlier this fall.

Diners can expect a lively atmosphere, particularly in the evening, when the restaurant will showcase its extensive cocktail program and live entertainment on the weekends.

Count Houston icon Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and her husband Jay-Z among the restaurant’s fans. Along with their families, the duo feasted on an order from Taste before Queen Bey’s Cowboy Carter tour stop at NRG Stadium. Bowie later shared a photo of himself with Jay-Z on Instagram.

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“We’re thrilled to bring Taste to the Sugar Land community,” Bowie said in a statement. “This expansion allows us to share the flavors and experiences our guests enjoy downtown with a new audience, beautiful waterfront views, and a signature space designed for both everyday dining and memorable occasions.”

Taste Bar + Kitchen opens daily at 8 am.

No meal at Taste is complete without chicken and waffles.

Courtesy of Taste Kitchen + Bar

No meal at Taste is complete without chicken and waffles.

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